16th September 2012 Running

Getting sloppy in my training.
Getting even sloppier in my blogging.

***
It is hard to say anything when a sub-4 runner is dispensing advice to his listeners.
But I do have to say here that I truly dun recommend going from Kinsei to VFF.
These shoes are absolute polar opposites.
Even more so, not to start on VFF with a 10km run...

***'

The legs were gunning for a run so off I went.
Intended to do 4km after a whole month without any exercise.
But legs were feeling good and I went off for a 12km run instead.
Decided to visit the only hills in Yishun @ Yishun Park.
It has been a few years since I last visited it and was surprised by the changes.
New tracks, closed tracks. New exercise corner, closed exercise corners.

What make me sad is how much of the greenery in the entire Yishun has disappeared.
5 BTOs I read from the papers, but it felt a lot more.
Cars and Train overcrowding is expected by 2015 cos the road infrastructure has not kept up with the vertical expansion...

9th September 2012 Army Half Marathon

Reality Check : After the race, TNF50 is going to be a bitch of a race. I have a month to make amends.

As per every AHM, I tried to see if I can take NightRider to the race site.
Finally for the first time, the bus operator has indicated on their website that such a possibility is not available.

Took my time to prepare for the race.
Reached Shaw Towers and was surprised to see the Car Park deserted!!!
This is usually the second busiest car park when it comes to foot races.

Reached the race site 5 minutes late and was surprised to see that the crowd has thinned tremendously.
Something new again....
With that many runners, how did the Start Line cleared so fast???

Things always goes wrong even when you have make all the checks.
Walking to the race site, I have tested my earphones to ensure that they are working...
Once I cross the Start Line and tried to play my songs, the earphones ain't working.
Ouch!!!
Spend nervous minutes trying to get the earphones to work.

Meet Sebastian with his friend Gordon along Shenton Way.
Pace is 8min/km. I am targetting a overall 10min/km pace, so this will do. =)
I have lots of miles to average out my pace. =p

One day, I will make 8min/km my average pace.
The day will come, the question is when? ;p

We have done 2km and the first water point is nowhere in sight.
Darn... I am getting thirsty sia...
Was glad to see the water point turning off Shenton Way.

First time I set my eyes on Garden by the Bay, I am hugely disappointed.
The "Garden" looks so artificial.
I carve for a natural garden, but I guess our economy, in their pursuit of excellence, cannot afford one.

Running along the river, I was surprised to see blinking lights on the other side of the river!
Wah...
After a while, it finally occurred to me that those blinking lights could be caused by runners running into the path of the street lights. Lol.
Reaching the other side of the river, I was surprised to see that the street lamps are 3 meters tall and they are all on the further side of the river.
So how did the blinking light phenomenon comes about?
Well, I will probably have to figure it out another day.

Sebastian overtook me along the Garden.
Well done, mate! That was the last I saw of him for the entire race.

Hitting Tanjong Rhu, I was surprised to see that the whole path came to a standstill.
Is there a casualty ahead? Are they blocking the area to allow the emergency team to work?
Turned out, this is the first bottleneck of the race!
The bottleneck has made everyone so frustrated that some runners are quitting the race right there and then.
Problem is, there is no way out of the situation as we are under Benjamin Sheares Bridge and the runners won't be able to get a taxi till they hit Tanjong Rhu Estate, which is on the other side of the bottleneck.

At the 8km mark, I took out a gel and hesitated.
I dun feel hungry.
13km during my first AHM was when I hit the wall.
I put back the gel and see if I can take on 21km without any gel.

Caught Liz after Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Hehe, she has been my target and I am glad I managed to catch up.

Took my first banana. Stuffed half the banana into my mouth and almost choked.
Haha... Thoughts of the banana stuff during the IMWA Bike Leg can back to mind as I laughed at myself silly. The runners around me must be wondering what is happening to the guy choking on the banana.

After Stadium Walk, I play tag with a yellow Adidas running top babe till I lost her at the second bottleneck of the race along Kallang Riverside Park.

Took the second banana and queued for the isotonic drink.
Haiz... With 10km joining us along the route, it is jam jam jam everywhere.

Have a idea not to do AHM 2013. But I know my memory is short and I will probably sign up again next year. Lol.

With 3km to go, my legs could not fire anymore.
I do not feel hungry, but the legs just won't fire.
It is going to be a tough day.
At 19km, mark, I took a look at my watch, I was amused....
2:56 on the clock. Which mean will probably do sub 3:30.
PW is not on the list. That brighten my mood slightly.

Was surprised to see the banana availability at the F1 Pit.
Looking up at the Helix Bridge, I can see that the 5km runners are merging...
More jam...

At the Esplanade, I was surprised yet happy to see Liz overtook me.
Her pace is super consistent.
That is why I always mentioned I prefer to run at ladies pace. Their pacing are so consistent, they beats the guys in the end.
I tried to chase after her, but the legs could not respond to the challenge.

Met my family doctor 100m from the Finish.
Dr Woon had suffered cramps 3km from the Line and almost got stretchered off the course.
Walked with Dr Woon to the Finish. =)

Pretty interesting to note my pace for the race.
First 10km was slower than the next 8km.
But my inadequate training truly shows during the last 3km where I only managed a 3.4km/h pace!!!